UWM Will Require Masks Indoors, Tests For Unvaccinated

MILWAUKEE, WI — The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee will require that students, employees and visitors wear face coverings while on campus, starting Wednesday.

Unvaccinated faculty, staff and students who are aren't 100 percent online will also have to take weekly COVID-19 tests, the university said Thursday in a letter to students.

"These changes are meant to help protect the health and safety of UWM students and employees and follow guidance from local, state and national health agencies," the university said.

Students, employees and visitors must wear masks indoors when sharing a room, a common area or another space with another person, the university said. This includes wearing masks when in a classroom, lab, conference room, bathroom, hallway, lobby or waiting area, it added.

Students in their assigned rooms at residence halls won't have to wear masks, the university said. Employees are not required to wear masks when they're alone in individual offices, it added.

Mandatory testing for unvaccinated faculty, students and staff will continue through Sept. 30 as conditions warrant, the university said. Testing for employees already on campus will start Aug. 9, and testing for other employees and students will start when they return to campus, it added.

UWM will offer vaccine clinics at the Student Union on Aug. 10 and Aug. 24, the university said. Pop-up clinics on the main campus will be held on Sept. 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 14, 20 and 22, it added.

The requirement follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance Tuesday, which recommended both unvaccinated and vaccinated people wear face coverings to slow the spread of COVID-19 in high-transmission areas. Currently, Milwaukee County has "substantial" transmissions, according to federal data.

The City of Milwaukee Health Department recommended Thursday unvaccinated and vaccinated people should wear masks when indoors with others.

See Also: Milwaukee Advises Face Masks Amid Delta Variant